Sentence Demarcation Flashcards
All 12 cards in this deck
What is sentence demarcation, and why does it matter so much for AO6?
It means showing clearly where each sentence begins and ends, with a capital letter and a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark. It comes first in AQA's AO6 descriptors. At the top level it has to be consistently secure and accurate, and examiners name it as the most common technical weakness.
What is a comma splice?
Two complete sentences joined with only a comma. The bell rang, everyone ran outside. Each half could stand alone, so a comma isn't strong enough to hold them together.
What are the three main ways to fix a comma splice?
- A full stop: The bell rang. Everyone ran outside.
- A semicolon: The bell rang; everyone ran outside.
- A conjunction: The bell rang and everyone ran outside or When the bell rang, everyone ran outside.
How can you test whether a comma is joining two complete sentences?
Cover one side of the comma. If each side has its own subject and verb and makes sense on its own, the comma is splicing two sentences, so you need a stronger fix.
What is a run-on (fused) sentence?
Two sentences run together with no punctuation at all: I opened the door I saw nothing. Fix it the same way as a comma splice: a full stop, a semicolon or a conjunction.
Why do words like however, then and therefore often cause comma splices?
They feel like joining words, but they aren't conjunctions. It was late, however we carried on is a comma splice. Write It was late; however, we carried on or start a new sentence.
Is this correctly punctuated? Although it was raining, we went to the beach.
Yes. Although it was raining can't stand on its own (it's a subordinate clause), so a comma is right here. A comma splice only happens when both sides are complete sentences.
What's wrong with The town was silent, nobody had come., and how would you fix it?
It's a comma splice: both halves are complete sentences. Fixes include The town was silent. Nobody had come., The town was silent; nobody had come. or The town was silent because nobody had come.
What is the difference between an accidental fragment and a deliberate minor sentence?
An accidental fragment is a piece of a sentence cut off by mistake: I stayed in. Because I was tired. A deliberate minor sentence is used for effect: Silence. Then footsteps. The difference is control, so use minor sentences rarely and make the purpose obvious.
Where are capital letters needed apart from at the start of a sentence?
For proper nouns (names of people, places, days, months, organisations), for titles (Mr, Dr), and for I on its own. Common slips are a lower-case i and capitals on ordinary nouns mid-sentence.
How should you use question marks and exclamation marks in Q5?
Use them to end sentences, as full stops do. A rhetorical question always needs its ?. Keep exclamation marks for real shouts or surprise; a row of them reads as immature rather than exciting.
How should you check sentence demarcation in the last few minutes of the exam?
Check every comma, especially one followed by I, he, she, it, they, then or however. Ask whether there's a complete sentence on both sides. If there is, change the comma to a full stop or semicolon, or add a conjunction.